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Local state-rep candidates tout small donations

By Anna Burgess, aburgess @sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
09/05/2016 06:52:52 AM EDT

Higgins

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Campaign fundraising and spending have varied greatly in the two contested primaries for state representative, but there's one thing all four Democratic candidates have in common: They're proudest of donations received from individual community members.

In Leominster, City Councilor Rick Marchand and Natalie Higgins will face off in Thursday's Democratic Primary before one of them takes on Republican Frank Ardinger in the race to succeed Rep. Dennis Rosa, who is not seeking re-election.

In Fitchburg, incumbent Rep. Stephan Hay and challenger Kimatra Maxwell will likely decide their election on Thursday, because there is no Republican or third-party candidate running.

Marchand

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Higgins has raised more than $15,000, March-and is close behind with more than $12,000, Hay has raised nearly $10,000 and Maxwell has raised nearly $6,500.

Higgins and Maxwell touted their "grass-roots approach" to fundraising as indicative of a desire to represent all members of the community, and both said they were proud to have many small-dollar donations.

Hay also described his contributions as "small amounts by lots of individuals," which he said shows "widespread support."

He and Marchand, who have been in politics much longer than their respective opponents, said their connections in the community helped get them donations from individual constituents.

Local people are "the bulk of my contributions," Marchand said.

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The four candidates' finances differed in a number of other ways.

Marchand and Maxwell each had the support of an influential area politician: Maxwell received $1,000 from former Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, and Marchand received $200 from Rosa, whom he is looking to succeed on Beacon Hill.

Marchand used campaign funds to strategize by purchasing historic voting data from the Leominster city clerk and creating a database of local voting trends, while Maxwell's strategy focused on readying herself for the job through programs like Emerge candidate training.

Hay

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Higgins and Hay, who each had several thousand dollars left to spend as of Aug. 21, both pointed to campaign spending as evidence of fiscal responsibility.

They both said they purposely saved money for a final push before Thursday's primary.

"I feel like my supporters will be excited that we're taking seriously how we're spending this money," Higgins said, "and making sure every dollar is used the best it can be."

Leominster

Higgins received $15,195 in campaign contributions. Sixty-five of her 179 donations were from individual Leominster residents.

Marchand received $12,315 in donations. Twenty-nine of his 38 donations of $50 or more were from individual Leominster residents.

Maxwell

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"I'm very happy with some lifelong friends in the community that have made donations," March- and said. "Many family and friends have reached out, local people, and that's the bulk of my contributions."

Higgins said her campaign is "really proud of the fact that we raised a lot of money from a lot of donors."

"We've run a very successful grass-roots campaign," she said. "My opponents have raised a lot from fewer donors, but we've had a lot of really small donations."

She chose to itemize all of her donations, despite not being required to do so, to show how many small contributions she received.

"In terms of transparency in government, I think it's important that people have as much information as possible about where those dollars come from," Higgins said.

Only one of Marchand's colleagues on the City Council donated to either campaign: John Dombrowski gave Marchand $1,000, one of Marchand's largest donations.

School Committee member Heather Mazzaferro, meanwhile, chose to donate to Higgins, as did Andrea Freeman, who was a candidate for School Committee last year.

Higgins beat out March-and in terms of union contributions, receiving donations from six local and state unions.

Higgins said she was proud to receive endorsements from more than 20 unions and organizations, whether they donated to the campaign or not.

Marchand received a donation from only one union, the Carpenters' Local 107, but did get multiple donations from Rosa, which he "appreciates," he said.

When she filed her report on Aug. 21, Higgins had more than $8,000 left to spend.

She said, though, that she has used almost all that money to send out mailings over the past two weeks, and plans to use all of her financial resources before the Thursday primary.

Ardinger, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary, raised $5,611 before Aug. 21 and spent $687. Six of his 15 contributions were from individual Leominster residents.

Fitchburg

The Fitchburg candidates have each run more modest fundraising campaigns than their Leominster counterparts.

Maxwell and Hay spent almost exactly the same amount of money in the past five months, but Hay was able to raise more, and ended Aug. 21 with $3,000 left in funds.

"I've always been a person who's very fiscally responsible," Hay said, adding that his campaign planned to use the remaining money for advertisements and final reminders to vote on Thursday.

He spent $6,080 in the past five months.

Maxwell spent $6,049, and ended Aug. 21 with $1,570 remaining.

Hay received nearly $9,500 in campaign contributions between March 22 and Aug. 21.

Of the 52 donations he received of $25 or more, 33 were from individual constituents.

Maxwell received 41 itemized donations over the past five months, including 20 donations from individual residents of Fitchburg or Lunenburg. The district comprises Fitchburg and Lunenburg's Precinct 3.

Her donations totaled $6,298.

"As a grass-roots campaign, we're focused on being funded by everyday people," Maxwell said via email. "I want our community to feel ownership in my campaign, and that's why our fundraising efforts are focused on the individual level."

She added that her campaign has held community events where it accepted donations, but not any "big-ticket fundraisers."

Hay is "grateful" so many of his constituents have confidence in him and are willing to contribute to his campaign.

He also received five donations from local or state unions that endorsed him.

"The money from unions is nice," he said, but he doesn't value it as much as "the people in the union and the votes that come with an endorsement."

Two fellow state representatives, Rep. Jim Arciero, D-Westford, and Rep. Jon Zlotnik, D-Gardner, donated $50 or more to Hay's campaign so far.

Hay also received a number of donations from elected and appointed officials in Fitchburg, including Fire Chief Kevin Roy, City Councilors Tom Donnelly and Jeff Bean, and School Committee member Beth Walsh.

Maxwell received donations from Wong and School Committee member Jean Labelle-Pierce.

Of her $1,000 donation from Wong, Maxwell said, "I'm honored to receive the support of another dedicated public servant and that she believes in our work to represent hardworking people and families."

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